The poem "No Men Are Foreign" by James Kirkup promotes the message of unity and harmony among all people regardless of differences. The poet says that no men are strange and no countries foreign, as we are all human beings made of the same flesh and blood. While we may have different customs and beliefs, our basic human emotions are the same. The poem stresses that we should not hate others or consider them enemies. Instead, we should recognize our universal brotherhood as children of God living on the same earth.

1. NO MEN ARE
FOREIGN
BY JAMES KIRKUP

2. JAMES KIRKUP
Born : 23rd April, 1918, England
An English poet, translator and travel writer
Died : 16th May, 2009
Genre : Poetry, fiction, journalism

3. THEME
Oneness of mankind under the superficial
differences of colour, race, nationality and faith.
It presupposes that all human beings are
brothers and sisters. Those who spread hatred
and wage wars are criminals and deserve to be
condemned.
Universal brotherhood

4. MESSAGE
No men are foreign is a beautiful poem giving a
message of unity and harmony among all
people and nations of the world.
The poet says that no men are strange and no
countries are foreign, we are all human beings.
We should remember that our ways of life are
the same.

5. CENTRAL IDEA
WE SHOULD NOT HATE OUR FELLOW
HUMANS, DESPITE OUR DIFFERENCES IN
CASTE, CREED, COLOUR, NATIONALITY
AND FAITH.
THE POEM SPREADS THE IDEA OF
UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD.

6. SUMMARY
NOMENAREFOREIGNISABEAUTIFULPOEMTHATGIVESTHE
MESSAGEOFUNITYANDHARMONYAMONGSTALLTHEPEOPLE
OFTHEWORLD.THEPOETSAYSTHATINTHISWORLD,NOMEN
ARESTRANGETOEACHOTHERANDNOCOUNTRIESFOREIGN.
WEALLAREHUMANBEINGSMADEUPOFTHESAMEFLESHAND
BLOOD.THEPOET MAKESASTRONGPLEAFORPEACEFULCO-
EXISTENCEANDUNIVERSALBROTHERHOOD.HESTRESSESUPON
THEFACTTHATGODHASCREATEDUSALLEQUAL,THESAME
FLESHANDBLOOD.HUMANEMOTIONSAREALSOTHESAME.
HENCE,HUMANSALLOVERTHEWORLDAREBROTHERSAND
SISTERS

7. PARAPHRASE
STANZA1
(REMEMBER,NOMEN,………….WEALLSHALLLIE)
INTHEFIRSTLINETHEPOET SAYSTHATNOMENARESTRANGE
ANDNOCOUNTRYISFOREIGN.HEISATTEMPTINGTOREMOVE
THEMANMADEBORDERSTHATHAVEBEENCREATEDTO
SEPARATEDIFFERENTCOUNTRIES.ONETHISISDONEWEWILL
FEELFREE.THEPOETWANTSTOCONVEYTHATTHEENTIRE
EARTHISONE.HEGOESONTOSAYTHATINSIDETHEUNIFORM
THATSOLDIERSWEARORTHEATTIRESWEWEAR,WEALLARE
THESAME.GODHASCREATEDUSALLTHESAMEWAY.WE
BREATHETHESAMEWAY.HEREFERSTOALLASBROTHERSAND
THATTHEENTIREEARTHBELONGSTOONERACEANDWEALL
WALKUPONTHESAMEMOTHEREARTHASBROTHERSANDWHEN
WEDIEWESHALLLIEINOURGRAVESUPONTHESAMEEARTH.

8. ◦ Stanza 2
◦ ( They, too……………different from our own )
◦ They refers to people of different countries, different from us. We
consider them foreigners and discriminate against them and fight
with them. The poet says that nature has given its bounties to
everyone in equal measure. Everyone gets air ,water and sunlight in
equal measure which proves that god does not discriminate. We all
do farming during peace time, when there is no war.
◦ We lead a relaxed life and eat the things given to us by nature. He
further adds that during that during war and the harsh winter
season the opposite happens. We starve as also people belonging to
other countries. Scarcity of food is everywhere. Here he gives this
example to draw the similarity between people of the world.
◦ He goes on to say that people we perceive to be different from us,
have the same hands that toil the same way as we do. He is giving
all these examples to convey to the reader that there is no
difference between any man.

9. STANZA3
(REMEMBERTHEYHAVEEYES…………RECOGNISEAND
UNDERSTAND)
THEPOET ASKSTHEREADERSTOREMEMBERTHATPEOPLEOF
DIFFERENTRACEANDFAITHANDCOUNTRIESHAVETHESAME
APPEARANCEASUS,WHICHHASBEENBESTOWEDBYGOD.GOD
HASGIVENTHEMEYESTHATOPENANDCLOSEWHENWEARE
AWAKEANDASLEEP.
SIMILARLYGODHASGIVENMANSTRENGTHWHICHWECANWIN
THROUGHLOVE.HESAYSTHATINEVERYCOUNTRY,INEVERY
LANDTHEREISONETHINGTHATISCOMMONANDTHATISLIFE.
LIFESIGNIFIESTHATWEALLARELIVING.WHENWERECOGNISE
THISLIFE,THISLIVINGANDUNDERSTANDEACHOTHERS
FEELINGSANDREALIZETHATWEALLAREALIKETHENTHERE
WILLBENOFIGHTSORWAR.

10. STANZA4
(LETUSREMEMBER……..DISPOSSESS;DISLODGE;DEPRIVE)
THEPOET WARNSUSTHATWHENEVERWEARETOLDTOHATEA
PERSONFROMANOTHERCOUNTRY,TOTHINKOFHIMASAN
ENEMYANDIFWEDOITTHENWEDEPRIVE,CHEATAND
CONDEMNOURSELVES.HESAYSTHATWESHOULDDISTANCE
OURSELVESFROMSUCHNEGATIVITY.WESHOULDNEVER
CONSIDERANYONEASOURENEMY.
DURINGWAR,BOTHPARTIESHAVETOBEARLOSS.THATISWHY
THEPOET SAYSTHATWARISNOTAFAVOURABLESITUATION,NO
ONEHASEVERGAINEDFROMWAR.THEPOET SAYSTHAT
WHENEVERWETHINKOFGOINGTOWARWITHOURFELLOW
BROTHERSWEMUSTREMEMBERTHATITISOURSELVESTHATWE
AREBETRAYINGANDCONDEMNING.

11. STANZA5
(ITISTHEHUMANEARTH………ANDNOCOUNTRIESSTRANGE)
WHENEVERWEPICKWEAPONSONANOTHERWEDEFILE,DIRTY
OUREARTH.THEEARTHGETSDIRTYBECAUSETHEWEAPONS
KILLANDDEADBODIESFALLONTHEEARTH.WARALWAYSLEADS
TOBLOODSHED,FIREANDDEATH.THEDEADBODIES
ACCUMULATEONTHEEARTHANDMAKEITIMPURE.THEFIREOF
WARPOLLUTESTHEAIRANDATMOSPHERE.THEPOETWANTSTO
GIVEUSTHEMESSAGETHATWARISFUTILE.THEPOEMENDS
WITHAREPETITIONOFTHEFIRSTLINEINREVERSE.

12. LITERARY DEVICES
THE ENTIRE POEM IS WRITTEN IN FREE VERSE
ALLITERATION- BODY BREATHES, WAR’S WINTER
METAPHOR- UNIFORM REFERS TO THE
MILITARIES OF DIFFERENT COUNTRIES, WAR
TIME IS COMPARED TO WINTER SEASON
REPETITION-REMEMBER NO MEN ARE
FOREIGN……
ENJAMBMENT- LINE 2, 3, 4
TRANSFERRED EPITHET- PEACEFUL HARVESTS

13. ASSETQUESTIONS:
1.Which word is not an antonym of ‘betray’?
a. protect
b. safeguard
c. defend
d. expose
2.That we shall dispossess, betray, condemn.
Which of the following word can replace dispossess?
a. deprive
b. bury
c. reveal
d. guard

14. 4.’Peaceful harvest’ is an example of?
Hyperbole
Metaphor
Transferred Epithet
simile
3.The rhyme scheme of the poem
is________________.
abab
abba
abcb
None of the above

15. ASSIGNMENT
EXTRACT
“REMEMBER,NOMENARESTRANGE………INWHICHWE
ALLSHALLLIE”
A.WHATBREATHESBENEATHALLUNIFORMS?
B.WHATDOESTHEPOETWANTTOCONVEYINTHEFIRST
LINE?
C.WHERESHALLWEALLLIEINTHEEND?
D.NAMETHEPOET.

16. ANSWERIN30-40WORDS
A.HOWAREWERESPONSIBLEFORWAR?
B.‘OURHELLSOFFIREANDDUSTOUTRAGETHEINNOCENCEOFAIR.’
EXPLAIN.
ANSWERIN40-50WORDS
A.NATUREDOESNOTDIFFERENTIATEBETWEENMENOFDIFFERENT
LANDSANDRACES.EXPLAININCONTEXTWITHTHEPOEM.
ANSWERIN100-120WORDS
A.HOWAREWEALLALIKE?EXPLAININCONTEXTWITHTHEPOEM.